Vol 1 Chapter 4 (1/2)

Chapter 4 - Messenger from the Church

”Delicious!”

Holding a knife and a fork in her hands, Elisabeth smiled radiantly

Seeing her smile so innocently for the first tioosebu on his back Furthere There weretable too

On the long table, the sticky tablecloth with vine patterns had been replaced with a new one with colorful fresh flowers placed in front of the unoccupied seats Gold and silver candlesticks alternated, all lit to provide candle light, with plenty of silverware shi+ning serenely

And on the plates,off lovely aromas

Head cheese paired with brioche Sour and refreshi+ng sausage salad Minestrone with laras terrine

Then there was dessert, a tart covered with thin apple slices arranged like a flower

Elisabeth was ravenously enjoying the dishes that were served one after another, her eyes welling up with tears of eerated manner

”Delicious, wonderfully delicious, this is too a! Absolutely divine! Well done, doll!”

”I a, Lady Elisabeth, Lord Kaito's master”

The robot doll aiting on Elisabeth innocently, her eht, a demure smile on her lips She was dressed in a classicalhe like a servant who had been working at this castle for many years

Kaito found it inconceivable that she was the same person as the one who had attacked him yesterday

Despite lingering fears, Kaito still asked her in trepidation:

”Not only can you fight, but you can cook too?”

”Yes In addition to combat data, stored within the memory of my recorder are various skills useful in all kinds of situations including thousands of recipes Froht, I am able to satisfy your every need and desire at any moment, Lord Kaito”

”No no no, forget about that Excessive service is a bit much”

Kaito waved his hands He often felt lost when interacting with this doll But i ears and tail

”Is that so? Please tell e your reater joy than for you to do with me as you please, any time, anywhere”

”Any time, anywhere Uh, so that includes outdoors?”

”Of course, outdoors is fine too!”

”What nonsense are you two talking about?”

Cutting the tart into large mouthfuls to chew, Elisabeth called out in exasperation Aftering enjoying the sweet texture the crispy crust left on her lips and teeth, as well as the coans, she ended her meal

Wiping her dainty lips carefully with a napkin, she looked approvingly at the doll

”Hht your culinary skills would be so superb back when the foolish butler activated you and I was thinkingwith that idiot What a blessing in disguise Rejoice, Kaito, know that your miserable life has been extended”

”I never thought I would've been ally”

”In that case, it means I was able to help Lord Kaito? Thank you very reater honor and happiness for me than this!”

”Hence, you are my servant too No, but I should respect your wishes in this regard, so allow me to welcome you anew, as my follower's follower Kaito, bestow a name upon her”

”A name?”

”Why are you always surprised? Everything needs a name Would it not be inconvenient if your own possession lacks a name for you to call it?”

”No, I never thought of her as irl after all”

Saying that, Kaito shook his head It felt too great a responsibility for hi that seemed no different from a human However, the doll pouted and took a step forith both fists clenched

Pouting adorably, she objected desperately

”Pray forgivefronized me as your lover, I am eternally yours, Lord Kaito, your co and sex toy My body belongs only to you alone at all ti these shocking speeches all the time Hmm Anyway, I definitely want you to have a name Uh”

Pressing his hand on his forehead, Kaito began to think, desperately looking for reference material from hisa person or an anihly restricted He recalled the names of several women who had stayed with his father, but he did not want to use the for hi him after all

At thatwhen the doll had rubbed her cheek on his palm

(Oh, speaking of which, there was this one individual illing to get close to me unconditionally)

The hbor's female puppy that had been very affectionate with Kaito Every ti her tail and lick away Kaito's tears Kaito's time with her was liain, but Kaito remembered her very clearly Kaito's father was someone ould abduct the puppy and kill her cruelly if he were to find out that she got along ith his son

After pondering for a while, Kaito recalled the puppy's name and said:

”Hina How about Hina?”

”That feels rather sloppy and totally soht up on the spot”

”I-I racked my brain desperately, okay!”

”Nothing less expected from Lord Kaito! To think that you came up with a wonderful name that exceeds all humans, demi-humans, beast folk, phantasratitude knows no bounds so please call me Hina from now on, okay? Hina Hina, I am Hina The name that Lord Kaito chose for me Gufufufufufu”

Hina's shoulders began to shake a little eeriely This seemed to be a happy reaction, but Kaito found it a little scary

Just as he finished na Hina, the Meat Supplier happened to arrive Elisabeth bought a great quantity of innards froan to pick up the utensils in his arms

Now that she had gained an excellent chef, Elisabeth seeed in conversation with the Meat Supplier, Kaito bowed to Elisabeth before heading to the kitchen with Hina

At the kitchen, Kaito placed the dirty utensils and cutlery in the sink Hina swiftly handled the innards received from the Meat Supplier and made preparations for dinner

Seeing her arrange without hesitation the seasoning bottles she was going to use on the counter, Kaito asked:

”Hina, you're able to distinguish all these flavors?”

”Yes, I have essentially registered all seasonings existing in this world Also, through scent, I can analyze subtle changes in flavor due to degradation over ti me to make quantity adjustments any time”

”I see You're so a, Hina”

Ieted shyly and blushed bright red

”I am not worthy of your praise By the way, Lord Kaito, what kind of dishes do you prefer?”

”Well Let's say that I' as it's edible, not rotten and not poisoned, I guess?”

After all, in Kaito's previous life, food was si able to eat his fill Hearing Kaito's extreue answer, Hina nodded with a serious look

”I see, I understand now Then I will do everything I can with my unique flavors to make food delicious for you, Lord Kaito Then, suppose pardonbold, but if you happen to like the food I lorious day should ever arrive for real, I could die with no regrets!”

”Don't get too excited, Hina, I wouldn't want you to die fro like that”

”As you wish!+ I shall live, forever and ever!”

Hina nodded with a blush,”I can't believe Lord Kaito asked an to squir up and down, Kaito felt a little troubled, but with this, he no longer needed to spend tieon cell

(At least I've got someone to talk to It feels so much better)

Kaito nodded and opened the sink faucet The castle's pipes were connected to a reservoir that had a water spirit, so even though it did not supply hot water, which was a pain so supply of water was enough to celebrate already

Kaito used cold water for dishwashi+ng while Hina skillfully employed the kitchen knife next to hians were all cleaned, had unwanted parts removed, and were cut into appropriately sized pieces Perhaps to avoid causing unnecessary dae to the meat, the cross-sections were very neat and tidy

Kaito subconsciously stopped what he orking on and stared at her excellent knife work At that moment, Elisabeth called out

”Butler, butler!”

””

”Kaito!”

”You're being loud! What's the matter!?”

Kaito put down the wet dishes, left the re work to Hina then rushed out

He originally thought Elisabeth would be at the throne roo hall

Kaito pushed the door open, only to see her sitting on a cabriole-leg chair, waving a wine glass while crossing her legs unhappily In front of her was a new visitor, sitting where the Meat Supplier had been earlier

”This man apparently wishes to have a ith you”

”hello, nice to ht?”

It was a blond man with blue eyes, deep-set features, and dressed in a black cassock

The oat's Confronted with the suspicious looking fact, Kaito felt his spine tre At that moment, he noticed that thethe kanji with accuracy

Kaito did not know if the man had noticed the unease in Kaito's heart, but he spoke with dignity:

”My name is Krulus Ray Fownd, from the Church I have come to inquire of your personal particulars”

”Coain?”

”Elisabeth As expected of your servant His attitude is most similar to yours”

The man spoke in a tone that could be either impressed or surprised Kaito took a closer look at Krulus, this man who claimed to be from the Church

Kaito did not know much about the Church in this world However, since it was the Church that had suspended Elisabeth's death sentence and ordered her to hunt demons, it must wield considerable authority In the face of authority, Kaito's natural instinct was to run the hell away, but fleeing at this moment would be way too suspicious, so he forcibly stopped his ankles that had automatically turned halfway and used his eyes to ask the visitor ”What do you want to ask about?”

Krulus stood up frohtened his back, then offered an unexpected suggestion

”Well then, would you paying the Church a visit next? This castle is rather dark and puts me ill at ease if I had to speak with you here”

”Eh? But I'm Lady Elisabeth's butler and can't just leave without permission”

”You knave, insisting you are my servant only when it suits you But indeed, you are correct Krulus, I cannot allow you to take away my servant so easily I created him and despite his stupidity, he does have a very capable robot doll for a companion, which means he is not free to do as he pleases I prohibit hi without sufficient reason”

”So this is the attitude you are taking, Elisabeth? You have yet to report to us regarding thea human soul from another world, have you?”

Elisabeth's lips twisted silently when she heard Krulus He was evidently right on the mark To think that the fact that she had summoned a human from another world had been exposed, Kaito was quite shocked

Krulus brought his large palether and continued:

”However, I have no wish to go out ofnews that you had taken care of The Knight and The Earl, I ca about the details' but ultimately, this visit is unofficial Prior to bureaucratic procedures and punishree that it would be more constructive if ere to discreetly confirrant hio with me What do you say?”

”Hah, you can spare me this sort of farce Despite all your pretty words, ulti? Bah, so be it, what a hassle I grant my permission, but should you fail to return him, watch out for your measly life”

”Good girl, how obedient You ment call”

Kaito was quite surprised by their conversation To think that someone could face Elisabeth fearlessly, that was quite beyond his expectation Krulus nodded at Kaito and walked out

Based on the direction of their dialogue, it looked like Kaito was pero with Krulus

Neither of them seemed to need Kaito's opinion at all

With feelings of abandonnation, Kaito obediently followed the cassock-wearing Krulus Led by Krulus, he entered an underground passage leading to Elisabeth's teleportation o outdoors, Kaito frowned Krulus stopped in front of the teleportation ic circle and turned to face Kaito

”Kaito, shall we set off? Be careful of dizziness”

Krulus took out a heavy and blackened silver pendant fro at the bottom of the thick chain was a sculpture of a veiled woravity, the intricately sculpted veil rehtly

”'Guide us along the right path'”

Krulus held up the pendant in the center of the an to shi+ne A great many droplets of red liquid beca around the reachedfell to the ground

After this blue rain, what appeared before their eyes was an underground room but the atmosphere was different from before

”This place is”

This was apparently not Elisabeth's underground room, but soiving off a different feeling of oppressiveness co reround location

”Coo”

Krulus returned the pendant to inside his cassock and walked out the only door

Reinforced ooden beaht Under the low ceiling, ancient lanterns lit withOverall, it felt like a mine tunnel

The two of the by the smell of earth and half-rotten wood Krulus said quietly:

”This is a secret underground passage of the Church and also connects to my private room Over here”

At the far end of the passage was a sly crude The interior of the wooden room only contained bookshelves and a work desk Empty However, the as adorned with the sa upside down that Krulus had taken out earlier Looking at it up close, Kaito could see a single trail of red tears flowing down the woman's face

Krulus knelt down in front of the sculpture and started to pray devoutly without heeding Kaito After a short while, Krulus finally stood up

”Sorry foryou wait Very well, please sit wherever you wish”

”Oh, thanks”

Kaito obeyed and sat down on the chair at the desk Krulus picked up a porcelain teapot on the desk and poured a pale red liquid into a teacup A refreshi+ng minty scent wafted in the air

”I enjoy this kind of tea Every time I frequent the store, I would buy out their entire stock”

”Uh Sure, well, I think it's a nice hobby”

”Haha, is that so? I am very happy to hear that fro atI buy too much”

Krulus winked Even though his behavior was very hu too smoothly, it made him feel somewhat terrified

Krulus brought his own chair over and sat down in front of the work desk, face to face with Kaito

”This feels like an interrogation”

Kaito muttered to hi:

”Even though it was in the forht soet roped into Elisabeth's demon hunt”

”Uh, Elisabeth basically toldand I' for people from another world to be summoned here?”

”She did not explain to you? How irresponsible, but that would be Elisabeth's style This is extre ofprocess, so I presuth Or perhaps, you two are quite similar in nature”

”Me, similar to her?”

Kaito could not help but frown He did not consider hihty Elisabeth Krulus took a sip of tea and shook his head

”Forgive me, I have misspoken Of course, I do not think you two are similar, because froirl since childhood”

Hearing this, Kaito juirl he had seen recently flashed through his mind

That skinny and sickly girl, sitting on the bed with very hollow eyes

Kaito shook his head, dispelling the i his discomposure, Krulus next said:

”She was born into this world as the only daughter of the prestigious noble house of Le Fanu Sickly since childhood, she had a cruel nature and would take pleasure in breaking toys and killing se of sixteen, her personality was exhibited fully in a terrifying ical power at the cost of other's pain and suffering Then using that evil power, she slaughtered even more people Set in her cruel and horrific ways, she does not even fear God”

Krulus gripped his porcelain teacup tightly In his blue eyes, a vicious glint surfaced Kaito noticed prickly hostility in his tone Even though he had been chatting a from what he just said, Kaito could sense clear resentment

While frowning at his intense reaction, Kaito was struck by a question

Obtaining —This was practically like a demon However, Elisabeth Le Fanu was not ”Torturchen,” not a demon

”Elisabeth isn't one of the fourteen deht?”

”Indeed, you are right She acco a contract with anyone Despite clearly not using the power of demons, how exactly did she convert other people's pain and suffering into her own h priest However, this is the truth She is an evil wo deainst the world”

Krulus cursed viciously What he saidhow to answer Elisabeth was Torturchen, an oppressive ruler and a tyrant However, she was currently hunting demons There were probably very few people ere capable of opposing the demons, creators of hell in this world

And Kaito was currently in the position of assisting her

Ever since the incident of The Earl, he no longer hated serving at her side despite frequently acting defiant against Elisabeth as always Kaito was actually quite delighted by her innocent side that she displayed occasionally

This was the truth despite its twistedness

Deliberating to the end, Kaito did not concur with Krulus However, Krulus nodded knowingly for sohed deeply

”My apologies for accidentally getting worked up However, you ought to understand after spending so much time with her Very well, allow me to inquire about your world next, shall we? Froic in your world?”

”Yeah, that's right To be precise, there's virtually no ”

Kaito answered Krulus' question cale fro the fruits and conveniences of industrial technology, he did not understand the underlying principles of how they worked The conversation turned vague, but Krulus still listened with great interest He finished his tea and calmly shook his head

”Thank you very much, it was most informative However, I must offer my utmost condolences The battles with demons will only intensify from hereon I honestly do not believe you will be able to survive until Elisabeth finishes killing those thirteen demons”

”I knew it, huh? Although this body is immortal after all, but it does seem quite difficult”

”Indeed And even supposing you survived to the end, what awaits you is the Church's inquisition for heretics”

”What?”

Hearing so unexpected, Kaito exclaimed in suprirse Confronted by Kaito's natural response, Krulus reht at Kaito, had no emotion

This was the kind of gaze one would give to despised bugs, not a hu of equal stature

”What are you so surprised for? That is ato the ways of the Church, there is no way that a puppet created by her would be allowed to live after 'Torturchen' Elisabeth accomplishes her mission You too shall be put to death by fire, or face incarceration at best But before that, what awaits you is prolonged torture”

”Well To be honest, that's not really acceptable to uys the ones doing the torturing? Can't you find a solution for me?”

”Here, I have one proposal”

Krulus leaned forward slightly At that moment, Kaito felt the same sense of dissonance as before and finally found the last piece of the puzzle Since a while ago, he had a feeling that the conversation so far was just a farce leading to so very earnestly, Krulus was not seriously listening to anything he said This feeling was evidently not his iination

”There are solutions As I gradually dwelved deeper in my unofficial surveillance and visits, I caerous Elisabeth is Back when she was captured by the Church, she was fitted with restraints to prevent her fro However, if Torturchen were to enter a contract with any one of the thirteen de her to break free of her restraints Not only that, but if Torturchen's unique poere to combine with a demon's, the result would be most unthinkable”

”Do you guys have any way of fighting her if she does that?”

”One of the top officials in the Church, His Excellency Godot Dios, has taken an oath to guarantee that she will not enter a contract with a dee, he would sacrifice his own life to seal her His Excellency is definitely capable of that, but should that coreat man of the cloth We cannot passively accept the arrival of an expected and inevitable disaster, watching the birth of a new de”

Krulus reached into his cassock and once again took out the necklace of the fe upside down He carefully opened a cap on the back and took out a bottle, then poured the contents into Kaito's teacup The colorless and transparent droplets, akin to tears, produced ripples inside the teacup In the next instant, the pale red tea turned deep purple before returning to its original color

”Let Elisabeth drink this poison In exchange, I will grant you a peaceful death”

”Death?”

”Indeed Beings counter to the will of God are not per to your testimony, you were already dead before you were su at her side, you er to the fear of pain You should be able to understand that this is not a transaction that runs counter to your interests, right?”

Krulus smiled Kaito recalled the poor first impression he had of Krulus and understood even ant and evendown at Kaito froht Froenuine mercy

Kaito carefully suppressed an impulse to curse and decided to stay silent until he was allowed to go back to the castle

Seeing that Kaito had not agreed readily, Krulus cocked his head in puzzlement

”From your reaction, you do not seeitimacy of my proposal, I shall make a special exception and show you the fates of the heretics under ement”

Krulus led Kaito to continue downstairs With quick footsteps, he advanced through the dark passage There were no other h Kaito felt soht about this situation, he still followed Krulus Soon after, Krulus went up some steps

At the end of the steps was a very thick door with its edges stuffed with cloth for soundproofing He grabbed the door handle

”Watch and listen, then learn properly”

Then he pushed the door open Instantly, there was a flood of bone-chilling screams

People weremadly to be killed Inside the inquisition room for heretics, there was a heavy stench of blood The square roo and covered quite a large area

Presented inside was hell on a small scale

A man with all his body hair shaved off was stuck to the wall, his pallid skin covered densely with rivets, a great number of screws embedded in his bald head Even now, there people dresed in white, drilling screws into his flesh Bound to an operating table, a wo nonstop A old riddle to roast, convulsing while begging to be killed A youngprofusely while waiting for his tongue to break

In addition, there were , a total mystery how they could still remain alive Confronted with such a scene, Kaito widened his eyes in shock, staggering backwards Even so, he continued to stare intently at the scene before hi this horrific scene fro his mind, he remained calm and observed the place

Dying peacefully was such a merciful proposal

Kaito understood now, that there was not the slightest exaggeration in Krulus' words

”I await your good news”

Krulus sently and pressed the bottle of poison into Kaito's hand

With the fall of blue rain, Kaito's view opened up

After returning to Elisabeth's castle alone through the teleportation circle, Kaito instantly fell to his knees

”Guh Urghhh”

The intense dizziness washim puke This was a side effect that he had never experienced when teleporting together with Elisabeth Perhaps when confronted with that scene and the choice presented to him just now, his stomach could not bear the burden

”Holy cow, that was really horrific”

Kaito cursed and spat then struggled to stand up Unsteadily, he entered the underground passage

Kaito re froet any inforo, he had carved essential portions of the underground passages onto his skin He then asked Elisabeth to heal him afterwards Elisabeth had been quite surprised by what Kaito did Kaito too was in abject pain but as a result, he was able to avoid wasting away and dying due to getting lost

”da back?”

Kaito thought about his re He expected Hina to have already handled all the daily chores for hi for which Elisabeth would summon him for today Elisabeth essentially expressed no concern for Kaito on a daily basis, so even if she was going to ask about Krulus, she would probably wait until toht now, all Kaito wanted was to rest

For the rest of today, he did not want to think about the bottle of poison in his chest pocket at all

Kaito walked unsteadily to the floor reserved for servants and dragged hi of old parts, he opened the thin door

At thatsoft covered his face

”W-W-What?”

”Welco and you finally came home safe and sound!”

Hina was hugging Kaito tightly against her boso Hina as soon as he opened the door, Kaito was naturally quite startled

Leaning forward slightly, hugged by the tall Hina tightly, Kaito's face ended up buried in her chest Kaito hastily pulled his face away, only to see Hina staring at hi this type of gaze against Elisabeth to no effect, but when Hina gazed at him like this, he could not help but hold his breath

Unsure what to say, Kaito h there were a chair and a bed in this crans that they had been used In front of the puzzled Kaito, Hina danced a little

”Lady Elisabeth said you will surely return, so I have been waiting for your arrival eagerly I was so worried, worrying so ears fly out”

”Say, Hina Don't tellfor me the whole time ever since you finished today's chores?”

”Yes, I did Is there any problem?”

”Uh You could sit dohile waiting for me I won't be mad even if you took a nap”

As soon as she heard Kaito, Hina stumbled unsteadily With her hand over her mouth, she blushed intensely